LOR dilemma

[organesha]

In a 1-on-1 faculty interview about 1 month ago, my shadowing experience came up and we talked about it for a while. My interviewer asked if the doctor I shadowed had written one of my letters of recommendation and I said yes, giving him the name to look for, BUT...I just realized that I didn't assign that doctor's LOR to that school because it would have exceeded the maximum of 5 letters.

Should I reach out to him about this and offer to have the doctor email him the letter personally? I'm afraid that he might think I've fabricated the experience although it's mentioned in my PS and primary app.

Any adcom input would be much appreciated @Goro @LizzyM @Catalystik @gyngyn @gonnif

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[LizzyM]

I hate to say this, but that interviewer wrote a commentary about your interview about a month ago and won't be permitted to amend it. It is likely that the adcom has already assessed your interview and put you somewhere on the list of interviewed applicants. Depending on where other applicants end up on the list you may or may not be admitted, waitlisted or declined. Or, it you were perceived as having fabricated your activity, you might be declined when the time comes to send out decisions.

I would suggest that you contact the person in charge of the admissions office, mention that your interviewer had asked about a LOR from the doctor, and you had mistakenly told him that the LOR was in the file although it was not because it would have exceeded the 5 LOR limit. Ask if you should send it now despite having already sent the maximum number of letters permitted. That get's your name and situation out there and if you were on the "deny admission to this liar" list you might get a reprieve. Start by making a call to the Dean (or director) of Admissions, not the interviewer.

 

[Catalystik]

In a 1-on-1 faculty interview about 1 month ago, my shadowing experience came up and we talked about it for a while. My interviewer asked if the doctor I shadowed had written one of my letters of recommendation and I said yes, giving him the name to look for, BUT...I just realized that I didn't assign that doctor's LOR to that school because it would have exceeded the maximum of 5 letters.

Should I reach out to him about this and offer to have the doctor email him the letter personally? I'm afraid that he might think I've fabricated the experience although it's mentioned in my PS and primary app.

Any adcom input would be much appreciated @Goro @LizzyM @Catalystik @gyngyn @gonnif

I agree with LizzyM's suggested approach, adding a sidenote that all admission committees aren't highly efficient in processing every post-interview file so quickly, so there's a chance that your phone call today could still straighten out the situation before it comes to a vote. If you were to review last season's School-Specific thread for this institution, you may get a hint about its typical timing and even when adcomms usually meet.

 

[LizzyM]

I agree with LizzyM's suggested approach, adding a sidenote that all admission committees aren't highly efficient in processing every post-interview file so quickly, so there's a chance that your phone call today could still straighten out the situation before it comes to a vote. If you were to review last season's School-Specific thread for this institution, you may get a hint about its typical timing and even when adcomms usually meet.

True that some schools are less efficient than others but putting your application to a vote may not show up on a School Specific thread because offers may go out long after decisions are made. This is certainly true at the non-rolling schools that are assessing and processing post-interview applicants all through through the season and not just in a marathon in February or March.